Design of microstrip antennas covered with a dielectric layer

The design of a microstrip antenna covered with a dielectric layer is presented. Due to loading, the resonant frequency of the antenna changes. The absolute value of the change increases with the operating frequency, the relative permittivity (except plasma), and the thickness of the dielectric layer. This change may cause degradation in performance due to the inherent narrow bandwidth of microstrip antennas if the effect of loading is not considered in the design. The curves presented here may be used to design microstrip antennas that may be subjected to icing or a plasma environment or coated with protective layers. Numerical and experimental results for the fractional change in the resonant frequency are found to be in good agreement.